Written By Rashad Merrell on Monday, April 25, 2011 | 7:34 PM

Let's face it - getting married can be an expensive proposition! But it doesn't must be, for the savvy bride who knows where to shop. There are a lot of tricks you can use to find items of choice at below retail value, and your wedding dress can be the best find of your whole planning experience. Think about the following ideas to locate a cheap wedding dress:

Heirloom: Your father or grandmother may have a dress tucked away in an attic and would absolutely love for you to wear it. Perhaps they don't mention it because they don't need to offend you...ask around and you may find an aunt or anyone who knows of an heirloom dress you can make your own for no cost whatsoever. You may even spend a little money and have a seamstress update the dress's look to suit you by removing the sleeves, for example, or adjusting the length.

Auctions: Online auctions such as eBay, and local auctions you find by searching online or in the papers, can be a great source for cheap wedding dresses. Often ladies will need to recover a little of their investment after their special day, and you can get deep discounts on dresses. time it is been dry cleaned it will be as lovely as new, and you save plenty of money for your other wedding expenses.

New or never-used: Local used shops can be a great source. Set aside some time for sleuthing in your local shops, and put the word out to the salespeople about what you are looking for. Often they will have something come in that you can work with and which will cost you little. In case you are in North the United States, your local craigslist online can be a wonderful source for an cheap and perfectly lovely wedding dress.

Sample sales: Keep your eyes and ears peeled - plenty of designers and wedding shops hold sample sales at the finish of each season or time a year. These sales are a wonderful opportunity to acquire a new dress at a deep discount. Be prepared to go early and to shop until you drop, and be prepared for plenty of other enthusiastic and possibly aggressive brides-to-be!

Discontinued, damaged or returned dresses: Ask around at your local bridal shops. Let them know what you are looking for and that you are on a budget. They may have something that has been damaged but can be corrected by a seamstress, or perhaps something that is discontinued or has been returned and already altered (thus thought about by them to be no longer saleable at retail).

Friends or relatives: Put the word out among your friends and relatives. Possibly your best friend's cousin's best mate had her wedding last year and would LOVE to sell you or give you her dress. In this day of e mail and instant messaging, your request could go far and you may stand a pleasant chance of finding something that will work for you, with a little tailoring.

Non-traditional: 'Fancy' dress stores such as those which carryover evening and cocktail dresses often carryover dresses that would be suitable for a wedding. Cream, white or pale pastel gowns can be ideal for a wedding if paired with the right accessories, and can often be hundreds or even thousands less than what you would pay for a 'true' wedding dress in a bridal shop. A number of these stores and boutiques even carryover traditional wedding dress styles that are affordable.

This ought to get you started on your hunt for a cheap or cheap wedding dress. There is nothing wrong with enthusiastic to economize on planning what can be a dear day. No will know any different, but you can enjoy a smirk to yourself knowing you have been clever about your money.

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